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PLN u UPPER 81D! ur- DIAPHRAQM Inventor;

Witnesses 5 3L Pam Piloto-UTMQGMNIE, WASMNGTON. 3 C

A dated.. tapes -THEOPHILUS ELSWORTH SIGKELS, OF KENNETTS SQUARE, PENNSYL- l VANIA.

Letters Patent No. 99,359, dated February 1, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPRATUS FOR SINKING-PNEUMATIC PILES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters YPatent and making part of the same.

To all whom 'itmay concern:

Be it' known that I, .lnnormnos ELLswonrH Src- EELS, of Kennetts Square, Chester county, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented'a new and useful Improvement in the Apparatus for Sinking Pneumatic Piles; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being hadl to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

, When sinking pneumatic piles by the use of airpressure wit-hin the piles, above the atmospheric pressure, it has-heen the custom to place the air-lock on `the top of-the pile, and when necessary to lengthen `the pile, the condensed air within the pile was first released, then the air-lock was removed, after which other sections of thev pile were-bolted to the top. To resume the operation of sinking the pile, the 'air-lock 4 was again placed on. top of the pile, and air was again forced intoY the pile, when the water, sand, or other materials inside the pile were `removed by some one of the well-known processes for that purpose.

The diiculties experienced in the operation of adding to the length of the pile, are as follows:

First, when the air-pressure within the pile is released, water, sand, or other material through which the pile is being sunk, is forced up inside the pile by the extremevpressure, which material inside the pile it is expensive to remove.

Second, while the material is thus being forced up inside the pile, the pile is often found to settle out oi'- its true position, which incorrect settlement is caused by the supply of material not having Y come evenly from around the outside of the pile, owing to obstructions, such as rocks,`tirnbers, or clay, under the edge of the pile, or around the outside thereof. i

Third, even-in cases iyhen the pile, after the airpressnre hasbeen released, remains in its true position, a very'large amount of material will be found to have been forced up into the pile, very much exceeding in quantity that which is required to be excavated to secure an equal amount of. settlementwhile the working air-pressure is maintained.

The object of this invention is to avoid these diilicuh' ties, and it-s nature or character consists in placingan air-tight diaphragm in the pile, to maintain the airpressure on its lower surface, and thus to maintain the air-pressure on the lower end of the pile, while Y the'air-lock is being removed, other sections of the pile added, and the air-lock replaced,l by which maintenance clair-pressure inside'the lower end of the pile, the indowing of water, sand, or` other material is ef- `fectually prevented, thereby saving expense in sinking pneumatic piles, and diminishing the liability of the pile getting out of true position during the pre-cess of y lengthening the pile.

ln 4the accompanying drawingc a a, is the pile to be sunk, which is shown brokenv near the top, to enable the drawing to be made within the size required by the roles out' the Patent Oce.

. b b 'is the air-lock, through which men and materials may pass to and from the pile without releasing the air-pressure within the pile, the construction and operation of this part being well known. 4

c c is the diaphragm, figures 1 and 2.

p is the pipe through which air is forced into the pile.

d is a manhole in the diaphragm c c. A

e is a valve, operated by the handle f in the pipe p, through which air is forced iutothe pile above the diaphragm c c. I

h, is a check-valve, through which air is forced into the pile below the diaphragm c c, and air may be supplied while the air-look is removed, in case of any airleakage from the pile from below the diaphragm c c.

k is a cock, operated by the handle l, to equalize the air-pressure above and below the diaphragm.

When it becomes necessary to lengthen, the pile,- the workmen who stand at the lottom of the' pile ascend through the man-hole d, which they fasten airtight. Next, the condensed air above thedia-phragm c c is released, and when the air-pressure inside the .pile is the saine as the air-pressure on the outside,

the air-lock b b is removed, additional sections of the pile are bolted on, and the air-lock is replaced and bolted y to the top of the pile. The workmen then, standing inside, close the upper doors of the air-lock, when air is forced into the pile through the valve e, operated by the handle j'. When the air within the pile has attained the desired amount of pressure, the air pressure above and below the diaphragm is equalized by opening the cock k, when the man-hole cover is removed, and the workmen descend to the bottom oi the pile, and resume the operation of removing the material within and above the lower edge of the pile.

1t is evident that the diaphragm may he located at any desired place iii-the pile, as may be found most convenient in praetice,and it is also evident that the diaphragm may be used when any of the known processes for excavating materials from inside the pile are used.

The diaphragm is made in pieces, so that when the pile is sunk to the proper depth, and sealed at; the bottom to exclude water, it may be removed from inside the pile, and be again used in sinking other piles, and any form of diaphragm may be used.

rlhe diaphragm may be used to keep out the uprising materials, if placed low down, notwithstanding the air-pressure is released below it.

Having thus fully described luy invention,

1What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isl The diaphragm, substantially as herein described.

lHEOPHlLUS ELSWOR-TH SICKELS.

Witnesses E. B. PAYNE, 1. H. Massin. 

